Attempt to smuggle TNT from Gaza thwarted

Gaza resident tries to sneak 6 kg of explosives into Israel through Karni Crossing, to Palestinian resident of Tulkarm. Police: ‘We have no doubt we prevented terror attack in Israel’
Shmulik Hadad

The Shin Bet, in cooperation with Southern District Police, in recent days thwarted an attempt to smuggle explosives from the Gaza Strip into Israel through the Karni Crossing, it was released for publication Wednesday.

A number of Palestinian laborers tried to smuggle the explosives with the apparent aim of carrying out a terror attack in Israel.

Cage in which TNT was contained (Photo: Courtesy of Shin Bet)

At the start of the week security forces discovered six kilos of standard TNT hidden inside an iron cage used to transport goods from Gaza into Israel. The same day, three Israeli truck drivers from the Negev were detained for questioning for suspected involvement in transporting the explosives.

An interrogation of the suspects revealed that Mahmoud Samih Abu Nagi, a Palestinian residing in Sheikh Radwan in Gaza who works at the Karni Crossing coordinated the transfer of the explosives into Israel. Meanwhile, the same night Rami Samir Abid, 25 from Tulkarm, who was allegedly supposed to collect the TNT once it reached Israel, was arrested at his home.

Head of the hostile destructive activity department of the Southern District Police, Moti Assor, told Ynet: “When standard explosive material of this sort comes into Israel from Gaza, it has only one purpose – terror attacks in Israel. Therefore, we have no doubt that we managed to prevent an attack in Israel.”

The investigation found that the three drivers were not linked to the smuggling effort and were therefore released.

Efrat Weiss contributed to the report